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12 Age Friendly Strategy and Action Plan The Office for National Statistics reports healthy life expectancy for males in FODC is 63.3 years and 61.7 years for females. The average life expectancy is 79.2 years for males and 83.2 years for females, suggesting an average person could have almost 20 years of life during which they experience poor health. As a result, Age Friendly actions place an emphasis on increasing healthy life expectancy as opposed to overall life expectancy in order that older people can lead rewarding lives. (Appendix II). This will impact on the design and delivery of services, and particularly access to services, given the rurality of the District. Recognising the current costs of living crisis and challenges such as fuel poverty, data (2019/20 – 2022/23) suggests that 20% of people in FODC live in relative poverty, before housing costs. While representing a decrease of 7 percentage points from the previous data point (2018/19 – 2021/22), on average over the past 7 years, over 20% of residents in the District are considered to live in relative poverty. Poverty (and associated deprivation and isolation implications) can impact negatively on a range of issues for older people, including health, transport and access to services. Community Consultation A detailed survey was carried out by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, in conjunction with South West Age Partnership (SWAP) to engage with older people in the district. The Age Friendly survey covered questions aligned to the WHO Age Friendly Cities Framework and the information gathered from the 925 survey responses has provided a robust evidence base to inform the co-design and development of the Age Friendly Strategy and action plan for the next three years. The strategy and action plan have also been informed by comprehensive consultation with older people. In addition to the District wide survey undertaken in summer 2023, a series of focus groups were undertaken in April/May 2024 with older people’s groups across the District, facilitated by SWAP and attended by the FODC Age Friendly officer. The following table summarises key survey and workshop findings under each WHO domain with more detailed survey analysis and consultation also being available (Appendix III). Appendix II Appendix III